The Deep and Mysteries Thereof

[freedombecki]

This thread is for all things found in and around the Seven Seas and Five Oceans, estuaries and inland lakes included! Enjoy!

 

[freedombecki]

There are some fantastic aquariums in homes, large cities, and coastal areas. Here's one of a place we visited a few years back, the Oceanario in Lisbon, Portugal:

 

[freedombecki]

Oh, that has to be a painting.

Credits: http://www.houzz.com/photos/2512703...Aquarium-Wall-mediterranean-basement-new-york

 

[testarosa]

 

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[testarosa]

Ta-Da!

Sorry Beck! Haven't had time to get here.

Looping around to the butterflies.

 

[freedombecki]

Thanks, Testarosa. I though horseshoe crabs were fossils. Don't know why. *sigh*

You have contributed some fabulous sea creatures. Thanks!

 

[freedombecki]

A Peacock Mantis Shrimp Odontodactylus scyllarus:

Credits: The Wild Side Blog

 

[freedombecki]

From Wikimedia, here is a horseshoe crab:

Discussion:

Four species of horseshoe crabs exist today. Only one species, Limulus polyphemus, is found in North America along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts from Maine to Mexico. The other three species are found in Southeast Asia. Horseshoe crabs are not true crabs at all. Horseshoe crabs are more closely related to arachnids (a group that includes spiders and scorpions) than to crustaceans (a group that includes true crabs, lobsters, and shrimp). Horseshoe crabs are often called "living fossils" because fossils of their ancestors date back almost 450 million years--that's 200 million years before dinosaurs existed.

Great discussion continues here: Facts about Horseshoe crabs

Nesting areas and Horseshoe crabs live in the coastal water of several states: Florida, Delaware, New Jersey, and Maryland. Some states are requiring themselves to protect nesting areas, as the population of these creatures is on the decline.

 

[freedombecki]

Steller Sea Lions are now on the endangered list due to overfishing, but possibly some of them are at risk near underwater hydroelectric efforts that have huge and killing undersea turbines.

Steller sea lions, Eumetopias jubatus (Schreber, 1776), aka northern sea lions and Steller's sea lions, are the largest of the Otariidae (eared seal or sea lion) family. Adult males measure 2.8-3.2 m in length and weigh an average 566 kg (maximum 1,120 kg). Females reach 2.9 m in length, and 263 kg (maximum 350 kg) in weight. Adult coats are a light tan to reddish-brown color, usually slightly darker on the chest. The life span of male Steller sea lions is 20 years, females 30 years.

Photo and discussion credits (and much more about this endangered specie that has declined to 40% of its 1960 population): Marinebiodotorg